Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-03-17
EeeSburg.

a correspondent of the Baltimore Sun
gives the following description of Leesburg
This town, is one of the oldest in this
section Of Virginia, and one Of the most
| beautiful in the State. It is the county seat
Of Loudoun county, and is 81 miles from
| Washington by way of the Washington and
Ohio division of the Richmond and Danville
Railroad, the terminus of which branch is at
Round Hill twelve miles northwest of this
! town The Potomac river is q few miles
distant The surface of the town, psrtaking
OF the nature of the surrounding country, i5
slightly rolling, and at this season, when al
most continuous rains and melting SHOWS
have rendered the olay roads well-nigh in
psssible, the streets, which are laid out at
right angles with each other, cannot deny
their knship with the well-known Virginia
| spring roads. The streets, however: are
paved with cobblestones or are macadam
| lied. and are lined with brick pavements,
and large force Of men are employed by
the corporation to scrape the streets FIRE.
quently, so that, with the exception of rainy
weather, they are exceptionally clean at all
times. Gasoline lamps placed at con-
venient intervals light the streets, and
excellent water is piped all over the
town without machinery from the new
er-IalIlnS auU ever pure IeoCh SptluSi WHICH
is situated on little knoll near the
western corporation limits. The public
schools, one for white and one for coiored
| children, are situated here, and are we'll at
tended. A paid fre.eneine company and
volunteer one constitute the fire department,
and the engines are drawn by men, aud the
pumps are worked by hand The town
| government consists Of Hon. Joseph l..
Norris, mayor; Captain II. 0. CIagett,
| recorder: twelve common c0uncilmen, and
benjamin. Head, ;oRn sergeant. The coun-
Gil meet ct the mayors office, but S15 600
have been voted to build during the coming
summer town hall. The Loudoun county
courthouse, two stories high, built of brick,
| with lofty, pilared portco, and sur
mounted by q small wooden betry, stands
| at the corner of Market and King Streets in
the middle OF wellkept lawn, and sur
rounded by tall, rugged eims and wellde-
veloped NAPLES. The lawn, which is
fenced with an iron railing, is the pride of
| the town, aud citizens claim that it is the
| finest of its kind in the State. In the resr
| of the courthouse is the clerks office, also
! two.s.ory building, with fire proof annex,
! for the preservation Of records, &c.
| Adiourning the courthouse lawn on the
north is the ReameT House, kept by MIR.
Jas. Reame. This is The only hotel in the
town, as the ole Loudouu House is used
now for office purposes. It is proposed,
however. 10 build in the near future new
hotel, aud S25, 900 Of stock have been sub.
scribed for that purpose.
The Protestant Episcopal Church and the
Methodist Episcopal Church, which is the
| old stone church made famous by the ses-
| sions within its walls Of the first Virginia
| Conference, over one hundred years ago,
),i4; ~ in
! 1872. are surrounded by their graveyards.
where the marble slabs, black from natures
petings. are the memorials of the older in
| habitants. Some of the tombstones bear
dates of the last century, though many are
of more modern date. Beneath what was
once the chaucel but which is now the body
of Shelburne Parish Church, lie the remains
Of Rev. John Dunn, an Englishman By birth,
who was for many years the rector, and who
died in 1927, and beneath the vestry room
are the graves Of the members of the Berke-
ley family. The remains Of Rev. Christie.
pher Frye, for many years pastor OF the old
stone church, lie near the north wall OF that
building. North of the town is the cemete-
ry, where stands among the graves OF Goa
federate dead tall shaft erected by the
Ladies' Confederate Memorial Association
of the town.
Leesburg is over hundred years old, and
many points of historic interest are IN or
q ear it. On Loudoun street, near King; ID
pointed out house where George Washing
ton stopped at one time, and on Writ street,
near Cornwall, is small one.story building
once occupied as q residence and Office by
William Writ & few miles northeast of
the town is Balls Bluff the scene of a fierce
engagement during the last war, when many
conflicts took place in the streets of Lees
burg. Most of the houses are built OF brick
aud are two stories high, and many have
hospitable little porches in front. Stores
are numerous and many present the ap-
peareuce of having recently been improved
inside and out. The surrounding country,
which gradually rises towards the distant
spurs of the Blue Ridge is settled by peo-
pie of independent means. "Morvin," the
! former country seat of Thos. Swami, is now
the home of Dr. Shirley Carter, and is beau
tifullv situated among the hills north of The
town. One of the handsomest residences in
the suburbs is that of Mr.. G. R. Paxton.
| Leesburg is the home of men we'll known
in the country. Here reside Capt. j. W.
Foster, Commonweaith's attorney, VINO was
prominent in the nominating convection OF
the eighth congressional district; State Sen-
ator Henry Heaton, who is at the same
time lawyer ano faEmer Jho- u. mex
ander, representative.elect OF the Supreme
Lodge. Knights of Pythias; Jno. Gray, once
member of Mosby's command and one of
the leaders in the localoption movement III
the county, and deputy grand chancellor of
/ the Good ,Templars Walter J. Harrison,
president of the Loudoun National Bank,
/ situated here; ex-Judge J. B. McCahe, Col.
| E. V. White, of Confederate cavalry fame !;
Major o. q. Lee Nhn Is ssaociated Ia the